Safety coupling-release system for railway-trains.



A. F. HETHERINGTON.

SAFETY COUPLING RELEASE SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED 0:04, 1909.

1, 141,393. Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. F. HETHERINGTON.

SAFETY COUPLING RELEASE SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY TRAINS. APPLICATION FILED DEC.4, 1909.

1,141,393. Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INE NORRIS PETER: CO. PHUTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. c.

ARTHUR F. HETHERINGTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY COUPLING-RELEASE SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY-TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed December 4, 1909. Serial No. 531,367.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. Herman- INGTON, a' citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Coupling-Release Systems for Railway-Trains, ofwhich the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings.

This invention'relates to improvements in safety coupling release systems for railway trains and the object of the invention is to provide means for insuring the release of all thecouplings of a trainin case of derailment of the engine. By this means the engine may become derailed, but will be prevented from causingthe derailment of the remainder of the train. Furthermore, the

derailment of one or more cars will not cause the derailment of the remainder of the cars,

To these ends the invention'in one of its preferred formsis described and claimed in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away of a portion of a trainequipped with devices for carrying out this system; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side elevation partly in section showing the contact shoe adapted to bear upon the rails; Fig. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view partly in longitudinal section and partly broken away, showing the details of the system; Fig. 4:is an enlarged detail'plan view of a portion of the uncoupling device; Fig. 5 is a detail plan view partly broken away of a modification of the uncoupling device; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig. 5. I

Referring to the drawings, A represents the engine, B the tender and 0 one of the cars of which there may be as many as desired in a train and all connected to be automatically uncoupled in accordance with this system if the engineis derailed. A shoe D is preferably supported from the frame of the engine and bears upon one rail, and circuits anddevices are provided upon the train, so devised that the couplings E and coupling chains 'F are all released in case the engine and with it the shoe D leaves the rails.

In Fig. 3 the circuits devised are shown in detail, in which a, 6 represent the con- The shoe D is carried by the telescopic 7 guide rods J attached at K to the bed of the engine. Inside the hollow portions L of the rods are compression springs O which normally tend to force the shoe D downwardly. the central stem The shoe is provided with P having the contacts Q normally separated from the contacts R carried by the downwardly extending conducting rods S supported by the bed of the engine but insulated therefrom by the insulators T. If the shoe D leaves the rails, the springs 0 force the shoe downwardly and contacts Q and R are brought into contact to complete a local circuit through the local battery U which may be carried in the casing 'H in the tender B. From one pole of the battery U the wire 2 leads to the magnet W and from thence the circuit continues by Wire 2 to the frame of the engine at 3. From the other pole of the ing rods S at the points 5 and is insulated from the engine frame, so that when the circuit is completed between contacts Q and R the magnet W is energized. To the plunger c of the magnet is pivotally connected the movable switch arm at adapted to make contact with the contact 6 when the magnet W is energized, thus completing'the circuit of the storage battery G through the wires 6 and 7 and the main conductors a, b.

The two parts of each coupling device E and the coupling chain F are adapted to be released by means of compressed air cyl- 'inders X controlled by electrically operated valves Y, which valves may be contained in the casingsZ adjacent the cylinders X and serve to admit air from the compressed air train pipes f to-the cylinders X.

I In the casingsZ are arranged electro magnets 9 connected by wires 8 and 9 with the line wiresa and b respectively. The magnet core 10 is connected to the lever 11, which is pivoted at 12 to the casing Z. This lever 11 has also pivotally connected thereto the battery the wire 4: is connected to the conductvalve stem 13 of the valve Y. The valve stem'13 abovethe valve Y is provided wlth a coiled equalizing spring 13, the tension of which is adjustable through an adjusting ,magnet to open the valve. With this construction, when the line circuit a bis energized, all the magnets g are energizedand the valves Y are opened, the compressed air being thus admitted through pipe f and casing Z behind the pistons it in the cylinder S, thusactuating the pistons and piston rods j. The cylinders X are preferably provided with back pressure valves controlled by springs 0. The piston rods 7' as shown are extended and each is provided with a pin 29 operating in the slotted end q of an arm 7' connected to the rock shaft 8 extending transversely of the car and provided with a crank arm 15 connected to the chain a for releasing the coupling 6. Any suitable coupling and releasing mechanism maybe pro- 'vided and connected to be. operated by th movements of the piston rod j.

' In order to release the coupling chains F suitable mechanism is provided actuated by the movementof the piston and piston rod.

The piston rodj is preferably squared for a portion ofzits length and provided with the rack '22 meshing with the central pinion 'w on the transverse shaft 00. The outer ends of this shaft are provided with pinions y meshing with the vertical racks 2 provided with vertical movable pins 20 which hold the chain hooks 21 fast to the rods 22. The guide 23 for the pins 20 is preferably pro,- vided having rollers 24: interposed between the guide and the pin, so that-the pin will slide easily vertically. As the piston rodj moves outwardlythe pinion w, shaft :70, pin ion 3 and pin .2 are moved and'the pins are raised from their sockets and the chain hooks 21 released. v v

In Fig. 5 another type of coupling is shown in which a bell crank lever 25 is hun from a support 26 and the slotted end 2 slidably connected to the pin 29 on thepiston rod j. The other end of the bell crank lever is connected to a chain 28 for releasing the coupling. The rod 29 by which the coupling is operated passes underneath the coupling. The coupling device shown in Fig. 4 is more especially for freight trains, while that shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is for ordinary passenger trains, but other forms of the device may be used. As at present used the coupling release shown in Figs. 5 and6 is 1. In a coupling release system for rail- -way trains, the combination of an engine and car, of coupling means between the same, devices operating to uncouple the coupling means, a member supported soas to nections between the memberand the uncoupling devices whereby when the member leaves the rail the uncoupling devices are caused to operate, 7 a p 2. In a coupling release system forrailway trains the combination of an engine normally be in contact with a rail, and conand car, of coupling means between the vices between the member and the 'uncoupling devices rwhereby the uncoupling desame, devices operating touncouple the couvices are thrown into operation when the member leaves the rail. V 7

3. In a coupling release system forrailway trams,the combination with an engine and cars, of coupling devices, fluid pressure means for uncouphng said devlces, electr1- cally controlled means for actuating said fluid pressure means, a. normally deener- .gized electric circuit throughout the train controlling" said electrical actuating means, and a local circuit controlled by. the derail- .ment of the engine for closing said train 'circuit.

railway trains,- the combination with the engine and cars, of coupling devices and safety chalns, fluid pressure means connected so as to release said couplings and coupling p 5. In a coupling releasesystem for rail-. way trains, the combination'with'an engine and cars, of coupling devices, compressed a1r cyllnders and pistons therein operating to uncouple the devices, connections between the compressed air. train pipe andthe cylinders including electrically operated valves, a normally open electric circuit controlling said valves, and a localcircuit controlled .by the derailment of the train-circuit. I 1

6. Ina coupling release system for railway trains, the combination with an engine and cars, of coupling devices, a shoe carried by the engine and contacting with 'a rail, a

engine for closing the 10,0 4:. In a safety'couplingrelease system forf 105 chains, electrically actuated'valves control-r ling said fluid pressure means, a main train circuit, a storage battery for energizing the 7 same, a shoe adapted to bear upon one of.

the rails and connected to the engine, and

I local circuit closed by the derailment of the specification in the presence of tWo subscribshoe, a main train circuit normally open but mg Witnesses.

closed when the local circuit is closed and connections operated by the closing oi the ARTHUR HETHERINGTON' main circuit for uncoupling the coupling de- Witnesses: vices. ROBERT F. ROUTH,

In testimony whereof I have signed this RUS E L ROBBINS- Gople: of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0." 

